Nothing Like The Sun
by Mystewitch
Summary: Crossover fic with Damon from Vampire Diaries and Sookie from True Blood. What would happen if Damon walked into the bar Sookie was working in?
1. Almost Closing Time

**Almost Closing Time**

**Vampire Diaries/True Blood crossover fanfic**

**Damon & Sookie pairing**

***disclaimer, I don't own any of the established canon characters, and the story takes place in a fictional town.**

**This story is co-written r/p style with Greenemage writing for Damon. As always, thanks for writing with me!**

This was her favorite time of night.

Well not of every night, since it was better not to be working at all and snug in her bed at this hour; but as far as a work shift was concerned, this was her favorite part of it.

Nobody whistling for her attention like she was a dog, or trying to look down her blouse, or _accidentally_ brush against her behind as she navigated her way through the tables. No more spills or having to sacrifice her tip because their fool cook put mayonnaise on the bun when they asked for none. Sookie could catch her breath now and get into a rhythm to set up for the next day.

The majority of the crowds had dispersed and only the hard core regulars were still in the bar, mostly keeping to themselves as they hunched over their drinks. The kitchen was closed for the night and most of the staff had already gone home at least a couple of hours ago. When she drove home traffic would be light and when she got to her front porch she'd be able to see the stars winking back at her from the velvet curtain of night.

Low music was playing from the jukebox, kinda mellow just like her mood and Sookie hummed to herself as she refilled the salt and pepper shakers. At times like this she didn't have to work so hard to keep up her mental shield. At times like this she could feel almost like regular human being.

Almost.

The running commentary continued in the background...

_Nobody can tell a navy man when he's had enough to drink..._

Shoulda told him where he could stick his referral...

I don't think it's supposed to be that color, and all crusty like that...

Sookie recoiled from that last and scooted a little farther down the bar to work on the sugar shakers instead. A light sigh left her lips, so much for completely dropping her shields...

Damon stepped into the bar and surveyed the dim establishment, his eyes narrow as they ran over the few remaining patrons. Contrary to the name on the sign outside the place wasn't exactly heavenly, but that suited him just fine and it was still better than most places that could be found open at this hour. He would know... he'd spent enough time in them. The only thing in there that seemed to fit in with the name of the bar was the angelic-looking blonde behind the bar; she was tempting and it hadn't even been all that long since he'd last eaten.

His slight smirk spreading slowly into a smile, he crossed over and dropped into a seat at the bar well away from the drunk whose putrid breath had reached him from the door, giving the pretty bartender an expectant look.

Humming to herself, Sookie gave a sharp intake of breath as she looked up and found the new customer sitting almost directly in front of her. A sheepish smile tugged at her lips. "How long you been sittin' there? I didn't even notice you come in." She admitted with a slight shake of the head.

"Long enough." He lied, watching her with interest. There was something different about the girl, besides her bubbly cheerfulness that was a little out of place for three o'clock in the morning. It was something he couldn't quite put his finger on... but right now it didn't matter, all he wanted was a drink. Something to help him forget, if only for a short while.

Normally there was a slight buzz associated with someone, sort of a like a beacon in the darkness that she associated with people whether she was shielding or not, but he'd slipped right under it, cool as a cucumber. "It's gettin' on to closin' time but I think you got time for one drink, what can I getcha?" She smiled in a friendly way, her ponytail bobbing slightly as she stepped more directly in front of him.

"If I can only have one then I might as well make worthwhile. Scotch, make it a double." He was confident that by the end of that one he could talk her into another, probably without any... 'assistance'.

Sookie should have just complied with his request, poured him his drink and finished with the sugar shakers but all of a sudden in a rush it came to her and she stared at him, an expression somewhere between wonder and delight on her face.

He was a vampire.

He didn't really look like any of the vampires she'd met before, in fact he looked like any regular human guy, not especially pale and lacking the intensity with which Bill had always regarded her. But there was something about him… Extending her 'gift', sure enough, she was met with blessed silence. After a moment or two she realized she was just staring at him as though she was a little slow. "Sorry, I reckon you must think I'm a bit touched in the head. But did you say scotch? Are you sure that's what you wanna drink?" Her head canted to one side as she studied him before lowering her voice. "I think I got somethin' that might satisfy you a bit more'n that." The corner of her mouth tugged up into a lopsided smile.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I think maybe you are a bit touched, sweetheart." He replied coldly as he tapped the top of the bar with his index finger. "I asked for scotch." What was with her? Maybe he should just eat her and do the gene pool a favor. "Just what was it you were going to try and push off on me?"

Sookie blinked at him, taken aback by his surly response. "I beg your pardon, I _am _sorry… but scotch? I mean, can your kind even drink that sort of thing?" She'd never known a vampire to take anything but blood before, but then again it didn't mean it wasn't possible. Instead she pulled a bottle of True Blood from the little mini-fridge and set it on the counter. "I could warm it up for you if you like?" She tried again with a  
friendly smile.

Ah, so now her behavior made sense, though how she'd known what he was, was beyond him. His face softened a little, but his brow wrinkled a little at her offer. "I'll pass. Doesn't get you drunk and tastes like shit. Just the scotch, thanks." He looked at her curiously for a moment, considering her in a new light. She not only knew about vampires, but was able to identify him as one immediately. "So how did you know? I don't think I'm wearing my 'Vampire' sign today," he made a show of checking himself.

He didn't drink True Blood? That had to mean that he fed from humans, or possibly animals, the question was did he only take blood from volunteers or was he one of them evil vampires like the ones she'd met back in Bon Temps? Pouring out his scotch, she slid it across the counter to him, finding her smile again at his last. "I've met my share of vampires in my day." She said simply, not wanting to share overmuch, after all she didn't know him at all. "That ain't to say I'm one of them fang bangers or nothin'," Sookie  
was quick to interject, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. 

"Have you now?" He replied, his smirk widening a little. "Well I doubt you've met one quite like me." He picked up his Scotch and downed nearly half of it before returning it to the bar. "You know most of us can't even tell someone else is a vampire unless we really try... you know, smell, listen for heartbeat. It's a little curious to me how easily you did it." But then he shrugged, that particular curiosity passing quickly. "So if you aren't a 'fang banger', which is a real pity by the way, just how have you met so many of them?"

"Oh you know how it goes." She gave a delicate shrug of the shoulders. "You meet one and all of a sudden there's a whole passel of em a'knockin' at your door." Sookie really wanted to reach out and touch him, see if he really was different in any way and one hand actually started to extend towards him before she thought better of it and retracted it, instead picking up the tray of sugar shakers to go back to refilling them while she worked. For a moment she thought he might press her about her ability to pick him out as a vampire but he moved on blessedly fast and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "So, Mr. ah… you just passin' through town or you fixin' to stay for a while?" She asked, paying more attention to him than her task at hand.

"I guess I don't really know how that goes." He said with the raise of an eyebrow. "But I suppose my last town had a girl like that... all the vampire activity seemed to revolve around her." He wasn't quite sure how Elena had managed to survive it, for the most part it had to have been because he and Stefan had kept rescuing her. "I find myself... undecided at the moment on what I'm going to do. Not really thinking much beyond my next glass of scotch at the moment."

"I don't mean to say everythang revolved around me or nothin', it just seemed like after the vamps came out we had one around every corner for a while." She replied. "Is that why you left your last place? Were you sweet on that girl?" Lord but she found herself curious about him, probably on the count of she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Sweet on her? No, I left that to my brother." He scoffed. Sure, there might have been moments where they... connected, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit something like that to anyone, much less some bartender he'd just met. Picking up his Scotch, he swirled his glass for a moment before taking another drink.

"You best make that scotch last you for a spell, I can't serve you another tonight."

"Last one? No, I think you'll give me just one more. A double." He said, focusing his eyes intently on her, exerting his influence. He downed the remainder of his drink and slid the glass closer to her.

Her lips twitched with amusement. "Ah no, I said that was the last one Sugar, I kin offer you a soda or somethin' but no more alcohol." She insisted, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall, she was definitely past the time she was allowed to serve. "We're gonna be closin' up shop soon but you ain't got run off just yet." The truth was Sookie was enjoying the brief interaction with him. Just being in close proximity to him was enough  
to dampen out all the other voices in the room and her head was blissfully devoid of chatter.

He frowned at that; how the hell had she resisted that? Vervain? He paused to extend his senses toward her for the first time, expecting to catch the faint whiff of the herb, either coming from something she was wearing or from her pores. What he did smell caught him by surprise... she smelled good, sweet, something he'd never smelled before. He looked at her intently for a moment, trying to figure her out. "Soda. I don't think that'll have quite the same effect. Come on, one more. I won't tell anyone if you don't."

It was cute the way he pouted like that when she refused him the drink, but she covered her smile with her hand as she filled a glass with soda. "No Sir, we got laws around here, and it's bad for business to go breakin' 'em. Why, what if you were an undercover policeman? Then where would I be if I bent the rules?" Sookie asked with a smile. He was much more difficult to resist when he smiled at her like that and she was again struck by a powerful urge to touch his cool skin. Fingers itching, she immediately went back to her sugar shakers with a clatter. Idle hands… 

"Me? An undercover cop?" He had to laugh at that one. "Hardly. I've never been one for obeying laws... in fact I make it a habit of breaking them whenever possible just because I can."

"A real rebel huh? Sounds like you like to live life on the edge. Or is it really livin'? I mean you bein' dead and all, or do you find that term offensive? Should I instead say… livin' challenged?" She was nervous to be sure, not because she was afraid of him, but because for the first time in a long while, she was utterly captivated by another person. Her brother had often told her that one day her curiosity would be the death of her but so  
far she'd managed to survive. 

"While technically incorrect, it's true... I do like to enjoy my 'unlife' to the fullest." He smiled, giving her a wink. "And for someone like me, I don't like to let the rules stand in the way of that." Damon couldn't quite figure her out. She didn't seem frightened of what he was, not even slightly intimidated. And the way she smelled... he gestured casually toward her. "There's something different about you, but I can't quite tell what it is."

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	2. Almost Closing Time part 2

**Almost Closing Time**

**Vampire Diaries/True Blood crossover fanfic**

**Damon & Sookie pairing**

***disclaimer, I don't own any of the established canon characters, and the story takes place in a fictional town.**

**This story is co-written r/p style with Greenemage writing for Damon. As always, thanks for writing with me!**

"_A real rebel huh? Sounds like you like to live life on the edge. Or is it really livin'? I mean you bein' dead and all, or do you find that term offensive? Should I instead say… livin' challenged?" She was nervous to be sure, not because she was afraid of him, but because for the first time in a long while, she was utterly captivated by another person. Her brother had often told her that one day her curiosity would be the death of her but so  
far she'd managed to survive.  
_

_"While technically incorrect, it's true... I do like to enjoy my 'unlife' to the fullest." He smiled, giving her a wink. "And for someone like me, I don't like to let the rules stand in the way of that." Damon couldn't quite figure her out. She didn't seem frightened of what he was, not even slightly intimidated. And the way she smelled... he gestured casually toward her. "There's something different about you, but I can't quite tell what it is."_

"Me?" She gave a nervous laugh. "Nothin' different about me, I'm as normal as they come." Her smile was a little forced at that last, but seeing as how he didn't know her at all, she didn't think he'd notice.

He almost had to laugh when she called herself normal... not only could he sense himself that there was something, her own reaction confirmed it; the heightened pulse, nervous laugh. "You, normal? I don't believe that any more than you do."

"Well… ok. I mean what is normal really?" Sookie tried to dismiss it lightly, changing the subject. "So what passes for livin' the unlife to the fullest in your books?" she asked brightly, setting aside the sugar shakers and catching up a damp rag to swab the bar.

It was a weak attempt to change the subject, but he'd allow it... for now. If he couldn't compel her with his mind, maybe later he'd just compel her with something that would be a little more effective, like pain. Whatever was up with her, she certainly smelled tasty. "You know, the usual." He shrugged. "Blood, sex, torture, death. It's a vampire thing."

"It most certainly is not a vampire thing!" she returned hotly, her brows drawn together. "There are many vampires that do without torture and death, don't kid yourself. If you make those choices it's all on you, not what you are." Her voice dropped, and she darted a look to the nearest patron that was shuffling his way to the door, paying them no mind.

"It most certainly is," he replied, amused at the outburst. "And if you haven't realized that by now then you don't know us as well as you think you do. Sure, there are a few who 'make those choices' as you call it... but it goes against their nature. They spend their lives resisting, getting all broody and pathetic. It's sad, really." He frowned a little as the  
conversation reminded him more and more of Stefan. "Then eventually they snap, lose control. My brother was one of them."

"It is sad," she said softly, her eyes dropping. Sookie was no stranger to the dark side of vampires, her only point was that it wasn't a foregone conclusion that all vamps were into torture and death just because they had the strength and ability to do it. Walking away from him, she picked up the empty glasses at the end of the bar and emptied them into a large plastic tray.

He frowned when she walked away; obviously she disagreed with him, and for some inexplicable reason he felt the need to explain himself. He rose and moved down closer to her. "Look, I didn't mean to imply that I'm one of those guys who goes around torturing and killing indiscriminately." He explained. "And I rarely kill my food... for one thing it attracts all manner of unwanted attention."

"You didn't?" Her brows rose a fraction at that. "You outta be more careful with what you say then, you might just be goin' around givin' a body the wrong impression." The corner of her mouth twitched, almost a smile before she continued what she was doing, it would be time to close up soon, best to get a jump start on the last of what needed doing.

"Well... usually I don't worry much about what kind of impression I give." He shrugged. Why the hell he would care what she thought he had no idea... and he still wasn't convinced he did. "But don't get me wrong, I'm no fuzzy little bunny. You still have good reason to be afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?" She stared back at him with surprise clearly written on her pretty features. "Why would you want to hurt me? I ain't done nothin' to you but pour you a drink and offer a little friendly conversation."

"Did I say I wanted to hurt you? Taste you maybe..." He gave her a wink. "But if you're going to spend time around vampires, you just can't forget we can be dangerous." He really had no intention of doing anything to her, she was interesting, and there was definitely something more going on with her than just being a simple waitress.

"Oh my…" her mouth went dry at that playful wink. It might just be a flip comment to him, he probably tasted a different girl every night, but it sparked some very intense memories for her. "No Sir, I'm not likely to forget that any time soon." Sookie managed to get out with a weak smile. "But I've left that all behind. You're the first vampire I've seen here in town."

He could tell she'd been tasted before, and the idea didn't seem to be all that unwelcome to her. "Left it all behind? Probably for the best, but can I ask why...?"

"I decided… I wanted more. It wasn't fair to me to live a half life in the shadows, no matter how comforting the silence was." She replied, her eyes taking on a faraway cast before returning to him. "Besides, I got tired of washin' the blood outta my best clothes every other week." Sookie gave a little laugh.

"Half life in the shadows. That's very poetic, but I don't really get the part about the shadows." He commented, watching her with amusement. Whoever she'd been with before sounded pretty depressing to him, no wonder she'd left him. "Hardly describes my life though, I consider it to be quite full. And unshadowy." He flashed her a smile.

"What part of the shadows don't you get? Vampires? They only come out to play at night? Go poof in the daylight? Any of this ringin' a bell?" Sookie arched a slender brow at him.

"Yeah, daylight's not such a problem for me." He said with a dismissive wave. "It's complicated." he didn't like to tell people just how he was able to do it, there were plenty of vampires out there who would try and kill him for what he had.

Sookie had to assume he was either exaggerating or flat out lying about the daylight not being a problem for him. But maybe he was one of those that skulked around in the sewers during the day to get around?

Damon glanced at her nametag for the first time. "Sookie? Now there's a name I haven't heard in a very long time."

"You've actually heard the name Sookie before?" She asked with a small measure of surprise. Usually people assumed it was a nickname or short for something.

"As I said, I haven't heard the name Sookie in a very long time... but then again I've been around a very, very long time. Shortened version of Susannah, if I remember correctly."

He certainly didn't look like he'd been around a long, long time, but she supposed it was all relative. "And what would you call a long, long time?" Twenty, or thirty years she imagined. "Sookie ain't short for nothin', it's just Sookie," she insisted. 

"I didn't say Sookie was short for Susannah, it's just a shortened version of it. I knew a girl names Sookie back in... 1859. Very sweet, very beautiful... not too bright though."

His next claim had her blinking again in surprise. "1859?" She would have been surprised to hear he was around in 1959. "Just how old are ya?"

"Old enough, a hundred and seventy." He sighed. "And what about yourself? Or does a lady not tell? I never understood that, it's fine to ask a man his age, but rude to ask a woman. Why is that?" It seemed women had all the rules like that, but with men anything went. "From your accent I'd say you're a Mississipi girl, or maybe Louisiana."

"Shut your mouth… a hundred and seventy?" Her eyes widened in wonderment. "Lord a'mercy, I never woulda guessed it. You sound so… modern." All of the older vampires she'd met spoke with a certain cadence that she just didn't get from him. "I don't mind tellin' ya I'm twenty-six, still in the bloom of youth as my Gran used to say. And good ear, I am from Lousiana. Where is it that you hail from?" Another customer dropped a few bills on the table and ambled towards the door leaving just one other patron besides the vampire.

"Some of us like to live in the now, embrace the modern. But way too many still wear clothes two decades out of date, talk like they did when they were turned." He rolled his eyes; it was pathetic, really. "I stay away from vampire politics, can text with the best of them, and even on Facebook." Lousiana. He'd spent enough time there, there was a time when New Orleans had been one of the best feeding grounds. "I'm a Virginia boy myself."

"You don't say… Hell I ain't even on Facebook, never understood the pleasure to be had in chattin' up strangers online. I meet enough folks in person I guess." Sookie shook her head, would wonders never cease? "Eastern boy… you're smart to stay away from all the politics. That's part of why I left, too many people tryin' to have their say so over my life."

"Eastern boy?" He scoffed. "Don't let any Virginian hear you say that... I'm a Southern boy. Served in the Army of Northern Virgina under General 'Stonewall' Jackson. Even met the man once." Then he paused. "Alright, well, he passed within ten feet of me once, and glanced in my direction." At the time it had been one of the highlight of his life... but his life hadn't been all that long at the time. "So you've never been on Facebook? It's not  
about chatting up strangers... it's about connecting to people you know, may have lost touch with. And when you've been around as long as I have, that can be a lot of people. You should try it... I can be your first Facebook friend."

Her lips twitched in amusement at that little show of indignation. "My Gran would have liked to meet you right enough. She was part of a group that called themselves the Descendents of the Glorious Dead. They'd meet once a week and talk about how things must have been back then, get all excited over a tarnished flask or a broken pocket watch. You shoulda seen 'em when Bill came to talk to them, it was almost like the second comin' or somethin'." Her smile widened a little at the memory. "I don't even have a  
computer of my own." Sookie admitted, "As for connectin' to people… I'd just as soon sever some of them ties."

The last patron stood with a loud belch and lurched towards the door on unsteady feet. "Take care getting' home now." Sookie frowned after him, she certainly hoped he wasn't about to get behind the wheel of a car. "I wonder if I should call him a cab…"

"Glorious dead. Sounds like an apt description of me... I didn't know I had a fan club." He smirked, looking down at his empty glass with a frown. "So these are people who sit around talking about a war that happened a hundred and fifty years ago? Why would they want to do that? Ah, you sure I can't have another drink? One wasn't nearly enough." Damon glanced casually back at the man who was stumbling out the door. "That guy?" He gave a dismissive wave. "From the smell of him I'm sure he's like that every night... I think he can manage to get home on his own." Her concern for the guy was touching, if misguided. Whatever happened the man brought it on himself, made his own choices.

"I reckon it gives them somethin' to dream about, an age of honor and chivalry, mostly it's old biddies sittin' around talkin' bout the good ol' days, wishin' they was in hoop skirts and petticoats." Sookie paused, indecision warring on her pretty features. "I can't. I'd like to but rules is rules you know? Maybe next time you should come in a little earlier?" She added hopefully before looking up at the clock on the wall. "I got to  
be closing up here in half a tick." Time to show him the door and lock up after him and worry about gettin' home in her beat up truck. . 

He watched her waver momentarily before refusing him. "Ah, but you almost said yes, didn't you?" He smiled, reveling in that small victory. "Inside, you really want to give me that drink, but you're stuck on the rules. I think you need to loosen up a bit, break those rules once in a while. You know, walk on the grass when you're not supposed to, or pull that little tag off the mattress."

"If we all gave into our desires every little time we was tempted, then where would we be?" She arched a single brow at him as she set the tub of dirty dishes onto the rear counter. "Chaos. Next thing you know I'll have the mattress police knockin' on my door in the middle of the night. You gonna be there with bail money?"

"I give in to my desires all the time... I just trust that the rest of the people in the world will be dreary rule-followers. Thus, no chaos." He gave her a smile. "But it doesn't mean I can't try and tempt someone like you into the fold. Teach you how to avoid the mattress police."

"Somethin' tells me you got a lot of experience with avoidin' the authorities, mattress or otherwise, livin' as long as you have. But I ain't got the luxury of livin' as you do. Come on now, you gotta scoot, let me get this place buttoned up for the night." Even now she could hear Carl in the back loading the last things into the dishwasher.

"I don't always avoid them... but I know how to deal with them." He said with a smirk. For a moment he considered resisting her call for him to leave, but he gave in and gave her a slow nod. "Alright, I'm leavin'," he sighed, sliding off the barstool. "But I'll be back, I don't think we're quite finished with this conversation." 

Sookie came around the bar to lock the door after him. "I hope you will," she smiled, fishing the keys out of her back pocket. "I am workin' tomorrow night, only not quite as late as tonight so, if you do come on by, you oughta try a mite earlier in the evenin'. Thanks for stoppin' by… never did get your name."

Damon laid more than enough cash on the bar for his drinks, then moved closer to her... very close. "I'll keep that in mind, Sookie. Just like I'm sure you'll keep me in mind." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and gave a wide smile. "My name is Damon. Damon Salvatore."

The breath caught in her throat at his sudden close proximity, and she couldn't do more than blink at him. The moment passed and Sookie reached for his hand, "Nice to meet ya Damon," she smiled, instantly sinking into the refuge of his presence. For a long pause she just breathed him in, the silence enveloping her like an almost intimate caress, her eyes slipping closed. "Damon Salvatore," she whispered.

Damon's brow rose as Sookie seemed to almost enter a trance at their proximity. It had been a very long time since he'd had that kind of effect on a woman without using any kind of compulsion. Then he caught her scent again, much stronger than before; there was a sweetness to her that he'd never smelled before, and he felt a sudden urge to taste her right there. It would be easy, at the moment he wasn't even sure she'd resist him. But he fought the urge... he'd have his time. When he drank from her he'd make sure she was a willing participant, it would be fun to win her over, to make her want it. Maybe not too  
difficult though, if she went weak at his mere presence. "It was a pleasure."

Drawing from those old manners his father had instilled in him but he'd long ago discarded, he stepped back and drew the hand she held to his lips, kissing the back. "Goodnight, Sookie. We'll definitely meet again."


End file.
